Round 14: Metrodome - Minneapolis

Minneapolis

April 13, 2013

Barcia Finishes Fourth in Minneapolis

For the first time since 2008, Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship series, returned to the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in snowy Minneapolis, MN, for round 14, and the Honda Red Riders were there for battle. For the second week in a row Team Honda Muscle Milk’s Justin Barcia finished just shy of the podium with a fourth-place overall. Teammate Trey Canard finished a respectable seventh place. In the 250 class, Muscle Milk-backed GEICO Honda’s Wil Hahn posted another second-place finish and continues to hold the points lead heading into the final round in Las Vegas.

Justin Barcia

Trey Canard

450 Race

For the second consecutive week, Justin Barcia finished just shy of the podium with a fourth-place overall in the main event. Following a fourth in his heat race, Barcia got off to a sixth-place start in the main event. He charged through the pack before tucking into fourth, which is where he finished.

“I’m not completely happy with how tonight went,” stated Barcia. “The track was pretty tough and had a lot of different lines. I’m tired of getting fourth; I want to be on the podium and I want to win. I know I can, so I have some things I need to work on heading into Seattle.”

Getting off the line to a less-than-desirable start, teammate Canard sat in 10th after the first lap. He began work- ing his way forward until going down in a corner, which caused him to lose a few positions. He was able to recover and finish a respectable seventh-place overall. “I am grateful to be leaving here healthy and moving onto the next race,” Canard stated. “Starts are so important and I didn’t get the best ones tonight which made it difficult. I gave all my effort, which is all I can really do.”

Despite undergoing knee surgery less than three weeks ago, TwoTwo Motorsports’ Chad Reed put in a solid performance, placing fifth overall. “I wasn’t sure I was even going to be able to race tonight,” said Reed. “I wasn’t 100% since it has only been a few weeks since my surgery and my knee is still weak. I’m not disappointed with a fifth and we can definitely build off this.”

250 Race

Muscle Milk-supported GEICO Honda rider Wil Hahn continued to put together consistently strong results Saturday night, grabbing another second-place finish. Hahn will enter the final race of the 250 Supercross East championship chase in Las Vegas with a five-point lead over second place.

“I’m getting a little tired of finishing second but fortunately we’ve had such a great season that we’re still in control over the title chase,” explained Hahn. It’s right here in front of us now, and I am going all-in in Vegas. It’s going to come down to the wire, but being this close is really exciting. GEICO and Honda have been by my side this whole time and I really want to win this for all of them.”

Wil Hahn

The Focus: 2013 Honda CRF450R

The rear Pro-Link system on the 2013 CRF450R now features a new shock that’s 14.5mm shorter than before, and it sits lower in the frame to help lower the CG. New damping settings are matched to the new frame and innovative fork for a plush yet controlled ride. In addition, from the very inception the new frame was designed to incorporate a new two-muffler exhaust system that tucks in tightly to better centralize mass and lower the moment of inertia. This new design strikes an excellent balance between enhanced handling, maximum power and superior noise attenuation.